The new Freedom Fighter
by LazerTH
Summary: Well, here goes... the first appearance of Lazer the Hedgehog (a character I created). Hope you enjoy these first few stories of Lazer's first adventure with the Freedom Fighters. If I get good reviews, and have enough time, I'll upload some more stories
1. The new Freedom Fighter

The new freedom fighter  
By LazerTH  
In the land where Sonic the Hedgehog and the Freedom Fighters fought for justice, a visitor came,  
from another country utterly laid to waste by the evil forces of the same man that threatened the  
peace of the land he now came to, Dr. Ivo Robotnik. The visitor was alone, all the people he ever  
knew were gone forever, and a fire for justice burned fiercely within him. This visitor was a powerful  
addition to the Freedom Fighters, for the abilities granted to him years ago were far from ordinary...  
  
The oncoming night promised a storm as a lone figure hurried into a nearby tavern that once  
belonged to a town, a town that no longer existed since Robotnik had taken over most of the free  
countryside. Places for the gathering of people were scarce now, with robots regularly patrolling  
the area and enforcing the laws Robotnik had set. His reign had started after the first Great War,  
when he had overthrown King Acorn and his city, Mobopolis, which Robotnik had renamed "Robotropolis",   
where there was nothing but metal and machines to be seen from what had been the most beautiful  
city of the land.  
"Good evening, everyone," the figure said, still shivering from outside as he hung his overcoat  
on a nearby rack. The other people in the tavern grunted several greetings and went back to their  
card games and their beers.  
"You're not usually this late, Max. What kept ya?" growled the barman, a rotund badger who  
leaned against the bar as the fox walked slowly toward him and took a seat alongside the polished  
surface.   
"I was talking to Tyler," he explained, wringing his tail to get the sogginess out. "He heard of some  
very interesting news."  
"Hmm. What kind of news?"   
"There is a new Freedom Fighter!"  
Others who had been listening perked their ears up and huddled in a small group around  
where Max was sitting.  
"What? A New Freedom Fighter?"  
"Who is it?"  
"Where did he come from?"  
Max looked around uneasily at the sombre faces of those around him. Life was not easy for  
many of them with robots enforcing laws, that had to be obeyed, or else.  
"Before I start talking about this, you all must realize that if any of Robotnik's robots hear of  
this, we are all sure to be in a lot of trouble. So I ask for a vow of secrecy to be taken, and it must  
only be told among your families, and to other friends not working for the enemy."  
The barman raised himself to his full height, and took the vow solemnly. The other people  
around him each swore, and only then did Max begin to tell them.  
"The new freedom Fighter is a hedgehog, like Sonic except he's red. Red and orange all over..."  
"Red? There isn't such a thing as a red hedgehog!" protested a female hedgehog that was  
among them. Max looked at her.   
"Do you wish me to continue or will you interrupt me every time I say something unusual?"  
She stayed in an embarrassed silence.  
"From what Tyler said, he is red. He has spines on his head two feet long, and the funny thing  
is that he only has two sets of 'em. His face is strange, too. Along his forehead he has a big V shaped  
patch of fur and he has separate eyes. I heard that he arrived a week ago, and I think he already  
has a hut by the Lake of Rings, set up by Rotor and Tails themselves. Tyler heard that he came  
from another country, that was destroyed by Robotnik during a war that country had with him."  
"Robotnik!" sneered a coyote, his fangs bared. "If this country ain't good enough for him, he has  
to go and destroy another one!"  
"The way it was destroyed was horrible. Tyler was almost crying when he told me, said that  
Robotnik used a nuclear Megabomb."  
Gasps of horror came from the group. Such mass murder was unforgivable. The horrific power  
that Robotnik had! He was responsible for the deaths of thousands, maybe millions, some of them  
thought, and he might do the same to us.  
"That... that is terrible!" murmured the barman, who had slumped into a large chair. The group  
was silent for several moments until Max found the courage to resume his story.  
"However, Robotnik is in serious trouble. I had to ask Tyler to repeat himself twice to believe   
what he told me next.  
The group waited and listened, barely breathing.  
"On the same day that this new guy arrived, Robotnik sent a huge force of over a hundred  
Hoverbots to destroy Knothole village where the visitor had went to after he arrived here. Oh, wait,  
I almost forgot to tell you something else that happened. Tyler said that the visitor had met with  
none other than Mecha Sonic! He also said that the visitor destroyed Mecha Sonic when they fought!"  
"Oh, wow, this is getting good," said the female hedgehog.  
"Yeah. Now, back to the original story. When this huge squadron arrived now, Tyler said that   
the visitor and Sonic completely annihilated the entire squadron in under ten minutes."  
"What!"  
"Impossible!"  
"Incredible!"  
"You are serious?"  
"More serious than I ever was," Max answered quietly.  
"But... how was that possible? And how on Mobius did he defeat Mecha Sonic?!" asked a   
squirrel, quite jittery from what he had just heard.  
"Well, uhh, none of you are going to believe this. This visitor you see, has an incredible power  
that has saved us more than once these past years. It is the same power that Sonic used to crush   
several plans of Robotnik before..."  
"You are joking."  
"Not that. How could it be that? Only Sonic, Tails and Knuckles have the ability to use it."  
"Max, are you saying that this... visitor has the power of the Chaos Emeralds themselves!?"  
"That is exactly what I was told. That is why Robotnik is in trouble. If the visitor has this limitless  
power with him, nothing can stop him."  
At this point everyone, including Max, had a smile on his or her face.  
"Then," said the barman, not quite ready to believe what he was about to say, "Then, we're... saved?"  
Everyone was silent. The storm outside poured rain down and sent a cold wind to chill this   
gathering.  
"We are not certain," Max said, the smile melting away. "The visitor was injured badly by Mecha   
Sonic before he destroyed Robotnik's squadron. However, the moment that he recovers, he will   
make Robotnik pay for the terrible crimes he has committed. That is what everyone who knows   
this is certain of."  
The group was silent once more, and listened to the rain outside. They could not celebrate,   
for robots had very sharp sound sensory equipment.  
"This is wonderful news, Max, but I have a question which everyone must know to spread this  
story of hope. What is his name?"  
"His name," Max said, drawing in a breath slowly as everyone else held their breath, "Is Lazer."  
  
  
From this story many more have come. The arrival of this new Freedom Fighter may save them  
from destruction, however, only time will tell...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Lazer vs. Mecha Sonic

LAZER VS. MECHA SONIC   
  
Note from author  
This was originally written in a very old scrapbook of mine, and, may I   
add, it was rather amateur. However, although this version may also be   
amateur, it is MUCH better than the previous version. This is also the   
VERY FIRST story concerning Lazer the Hedgehog's   
adventures/misadventures. Others will follow.  
  
(Note: this story is what was talked about in the first: The New Freedom   
Fighter)  
  
"It has been said that an ending is merely a beginning in disguise."  
Quote the Crystalis   
(by SNK) game manual  
  
A red dot moved silently through the trees. Forest animals scurried   
away from it, the visitor. He remembered the War. The War that had   
ended all wars. He had fought in that War, uninvited, but his side lost.   
Totally, completely, irreversibly. What used to be his countrymen was now   
dust of the scarred earth. Dust to be blown in the wind across the   
shattered wasteland that had been the country of Xadra, home to a highly   
advanced city where nothing could live again. Ever. Why, he thought. Why   
wasn't I destroyed by that bomb, and be at peace with my family and   
friends? Because, he thought grimly, because I need to repay the one who   
did this... ROBOTNIK! The word nearly choked him as his thoughts delved   
into bloody murder. His thoughts shifted...  
"I am going to kill him!"   
"No, son, never repay a life for a life. You must not be a murderer   
like him..."  
He would not kill Robotnik. He could not, not after his father had told   
him, before his father had died... No more tears to be shed, he had to   
have his own type of vengeance.  
The red-orange hedgehog now came to a clearing and a pond. He   
landed on the soft ground, the spikes on his boots sinking deep.  
"The pond! I'm getting close. But first... YAHOOO!!"  
The air whipped around him as he leapt upward. He was framed against   
the sky for an instant, then came diving down, head first.   
SPLASH  
He resurfaced. Birds in the trees, startled by the sudden noise, were noisily   
flapping off.  
"Nothin' like a freezing cold lake after flying hundreds of miles. The   
Freedom Fighters can wait." He glided over the surface and down again.  
  
Robotropolis. The city of metal and machines, the fortress of Dr. Ivo   
Robotnik, a grossly overweight man with beady eyes almost obscured by a   
huge moustache that was the only hair on his egg-shaped head. He was an   
evil genius; his mind corrupted by power a long, long time ago. Power   
corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, yes, but Robotnik did   
not just want power. He wanted Mobius. The power-crazed, evil-genius   
scientist was currently shouting orders to his robots and assistant, a small   
man with a large nose and a little more hair on his head than his uncle   
had.   
"SNIVELY! Hurry up with that teleportation!"  
"Right away, Sir," he answered wearily. Orders, commands, work for   
the entire day. Why didn't he order the robots to do everything, at least   
they don't get bored.  
"SWATBOTS!!"  
"What? Err, Yes Sir?"  
"Hurry unloading those armaments!"  
"Yes, King Cholesterol!" they chirped, working as fast as their batteries   
could go. Robotnik paused to wonder who had told the Swatbots to   
address him by that name. He was about to yell at Snively again for typing   
too slowly when a blue glow came from the Teleporter.  
"He's here, Sir."  
"Finally!"  
The blue glow materialized into Mecha Sonic, who arrogantly stepped   
down (it seemed that way, maybe because he had taken to copying his   
master) and saluted.  
"Awaiting your orders, Sir"  
"Good! Mecha Sonic, I want you to collect six forest animals for an   
experiment with a new design I input to the Roboticizor."  
Mecha Sonic stared at Robotnik. Such a menial task for his finest   
robotic warrior.  
"Sir, has there been a shortage of Swatbots to carry out this task?"  
"Swatbots! THOSE INCOMPEDENT FOOLS? The last time I sent them to   
collect specimens they were attacked by beavers!"  
"I do not recall that being input to my data banks…"  
"I trust, Mecha Sonic, that you will not be as careless?"  
"Never, Sir."  
"Take this bag, and be back here with the six specimens in less than   
half an hour"  
"I will not fail."  
The ceiling split lengthways revealing the gray cloud that always   
seemed to cover Robotropolis, and Mecha Sonic leaped into the sky, his   
boosters blazing behind him.  
  
"Ahhh, that's better."  
A strange red glow surrounded him as he floated above the lake,   
drying him instantly. He flew above the treetops. The samurai blade, which   
he carried sheathed on his back, shone brightly in the sunlight.  
"The lake, then north east," he muttered to himself. Then, like a bird   
(although he possessed no wings, nor feathers), he flew away, his shadow   
upon the trees.   
  
Not very far from the visitor came the roar of an engine.  
"My master should find a more fitting use of my abilities," Mecha   
Sonic grumbled, holding the sack that already contained four specimens.   
Scanning the forest floor below, he suddenly shot downward and picked up   
two rabbits that fumbled in the large sack.  
"Six," he noted, looking at the time inside his helmet, "Within three   
minutes. Not bad for the fastest robot on Mobius."  
Residual traces of Sonic's brain patterns still remained after he had   
been re-designed.   
"Now, to… what is that? It is too large to be a bird."  
After re-checking his data banks for information on this new subject,   
and finding none, Mecha switched to magnify-vision. He scrutinized this   
unlikely flying animal, which was definitely a hedgehog, which resembled a   
species he had seen before.  
"The Red Hedgehog," read his data on the subject, "Supposedly   
eliminated in the War of Adrax. What is left of their species now reside in   
other countries. The fur of a Red Hedgehog is a shade of red, the skin also,   
from light pink to dark crimson. Males wear a V shaped patch of fur on   
their forehead, females wear a curved patch of fur." Mecha Sonic saw that   
this was a male. The data also indicated that the spines of this species   
were usually over 24 inches long in adults.  
"Well, well. My master will be pleased if I brought back a Red   
Hedgehog, especially one that can fly."  
  
The sky was still bright as the red hedgehog continued to fly, closely watching   
the forest beneath for a single hut, or even a clearing. Then, he saw a blue streak zoom underneath  
him. It flew up to his height and they both stopped in mid-air, each sizing up the other.   
"What on Mobius?"   
The two faced each other, one a hedgehog, and one an   
imitation.  
"I am Mecha Sonic, my Master is Dr. Robotnik. I was sent to collect   
some specimens for one of his experiments, and you will make a fine   
specimen."  
"Robotnik!" he repeated, rage choking him. "Robotnik destroyed my   
country, and YOU are HIS robot!"   
"I am. Do you wish to come without resistance, or will you resist?"  
The Red Hedgehog looked at his adversary. He grinned wryly.  
"I shall resist. Prepare to die, Mecha Sonic," he said simply.  
Mecha Sonic's eyes narrowed. His foe began to glow strangely.  
"You will be crushed!"  
His punch smacked the red hedgehog's head to one side.  
"Ugh! You're some fighter."  
"I have had many experiences."  
"Likewise. Hee-yahh!!"  
The roundhouse kick sent Mecha Sonic staggering backward, with a   
loud CLANG. Spikes on the shoes of the red hedgehog had formed a number of small  
holes in Mecha's chest. The dark blue robot recovered and flew into the red hedgehog, and  
the two tumbled through the air. Breaking away, his foe rocketed toward him,   
blazing with red energy, and the fist connected with his jaw, nearly   
dislodging his metallic head as he was sent flying. In response, the robotic   
warrior held up the bag.  
"Do you want me to drop this?"  
"Why should I care?"  
"It contains living animals. If I drop it they will die."  
"You are as cold-hearted as your Master!" he shouted.  
"I have no heart," he said. The bag slipped from metal fingers, and   
fell a long, long way downward.  
"NO!"  
Mecha Sonic seemed to grin as the Red Hedgehog shot downward   
after the bag, from which feeble cries of terror came.   
"Gotcha!" he said, snatching the bag. He landed and let out the   
animals that fled into the safety of the forest. He looked upward.  
"Where did that flying piece of scrap metal go?"  
That was all he said when a fireball slammed into his back, and sent   
his crashing into a tree, nearly cracking it in half. He slid to the ground   
and groaned, smoke rising from his body. Mecha Sonic, still glowing, walked up to him.  
"I knew that you would save those animals. Your compassion has led   
to your defeat."  
Pain lanced through his body as he slowly opened his eyes.  
"I… am not… defeated yet!"  
Mecha Sonic stepped backward in surprise as a blaze of light came   
from the hedgehog as he floated off the ground, and once more flew into   
the sky. Mecha Sonic followed. What kind of red hedgehog gave off laser-type energy?  
He had to capture this very interesting specimen.  
"You do not give up easily," Mecha Sonic noted, once again hovering high above the ground.  
"I do not."  
Mecha Sonic came at him, again in a blazing fireball. The Red   
Hedgehog held his two hands to one side, and a huge red ball formed   
between them.  
"HA-DOU-KEN!!" he yelled, thrusting his hands forward, and the red   
ball turned into a huge energy blast, roaring through the air and exploding as   
Mecha Sonic collided with it. The robot was hurled toward the ground, amid shockwaves, trailing   
smoke in his wake.  
"Very cool explosion. I hope he never bothers me again. Now, for more   
important matters and finding Knothole…"  
After flying north east for several minutes, scanning the trees beneath   
him, he noticed a small lake and then saw the thatched roofs of huts   
almost hidden by trees. He stopped and looked downward.  
"Is that Knothole? Is my quest finally over?" he asked himself. He was   
then aware of the roar of an engine behind him. Turning in mid-air, he   
faced Mecha Sonic again!"  
"Mecha Sonic! You survived that?"  
"Is it really that surprising? Now DIE!" He brought his arms together in front of him and fired!  
Red beams of lethal laser energy struck the other hedgehog on his   
chest. The hedgehog did not scream, did not writhe in death's agony as   
Mecha Sonic expected. Instead, he laughed.  
"Mecha, do your sensors notice your power levels?"  
"W- what? Power… levels… low…"  
"Exactly. Laser energy is my friend, you know…"  
He was surrounded by an even larger aura of energy again, as Mecha   
Sonic tried desperately to keep his booster working.  
"You… drained all of my energy!"  
"Oh, Mecha Sonic…"  
"Ugh…?"  
"Do you know what it's like to be fried robotic hedgehog?"  
"This… does not… compute…"  
"Say hello to your master for me! Tell him that LAZER THE   
HEDGEHOG has arrived with a vengeance!"  
Lazer stretched out his both arms toward the spiked robot, and a   
gigantic power beam erupted from them, blasting Mecha Sonic somewhere   
over the horizon amid a shower of nuts and bolts. Exhausted, all of the   
absorbed energy lost, Lazer looked down at the small village.  
"Finally, to see if the Freedom Fighters will accept me…"  
  
***TO BE CONTINUED***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. First Impressions

First Impressions- the continuation of the new Freedom Fighter

First Impressions- the continuation of the new Freedom Fighter

Disclaimer- All characters in this fanfic are property of Sega, except 'Lazer' The Hedgehog, who is my creation.

By LazerTH (Note from author- this story was also written on paper before being transferred to WordPad.)

Lazer, the Red Hedgehog, hovered slowly toward the ground outside of Knothole. He had flown hundreds upon hundreds of miles across the vast ocean, leaving his destroyed home behind, in order to find this village. This village, the home to the Freedom Fighters, was the final destination. With their help, the Freedom Fighters and himself would put an end to Dr. Robotnik's reign of terror once and for all. He did not 'hope' that Robotnik would be defeated someday. He KNEW it.

Antoine D' Coolette, royal guard of Knothole, was patrolling the perimeter of his village. His sword bounced from his waist as he kept a sharp lookout for any suspicious movement in the Forest. As Antoine walked away, the red hedgehog landed behind him. Neither had seen the other, yet.

"Hmm, they did a good job in concealing this place..."

As he walked toward the nearest set of huts he stepped on a twig. The patrolling guard heard the snap quite distinctly.

"Who is zere?!" Antoine said, spinning around and fumbling with his sword. When he saw the red hedgehog staring at him, he dropped the sword and gaped. 

"Who... what... are you?"

Lazer also looked at him. A coyote with a French accent, with blue uniform, blonde hair and sword. Was he a Freedom Fighter? Maybe he knew Sonic or one of the others that he had heard about...

"Are you... a Freedom Fighter? Is this village..." he pointed to the gathering of thatched huts, "Knothole?"

Antoine eyed him suspiciously. How on Mobius did this strange hedgehog find Knothole? The Great Forest took up thousands of acres; the chances of finding Knothole (if you didn't know where it was) were near zero. Maybe, this was a spy hired by Dr. Robotnik, who had followed Tails and Rotor after they had visited the Central Market the day before...

"My question is: Who are YOU? What right do you have in popping out of nowhere and asking if thees village eez Knothole?"

"But..."

"Enough! I know that you are ze spy and I am ze guard! You will leave here immediately before I have to use ze persuasion!" he shouted, waving his sword menacingly. Lazer was amazed. What kind of Freedom Fighter could be paranoid like this guy? If he was a Freedom Fighter, this was a bad first impression.

"Listen, whoever you are, I'm NOT a spy. In fact I'm here to join the Freedom Fighters. So, can you PLEASE tell me where to find them?" he said, trying his best not to physically attack the guy. He had flown across an ocean to be greeted like this?... It was almost too much to bear.

"My name," he said haughtily, "Is Antoine D' Coolette, royal guard of Princess Sally Acorn and also the guard of Knothole. Whether you like it or not, I think you are ze spy and you must leave..."

That did it.

"LISTEN TO ME, YOU IDIOT! I AM TRYING TO JOIN THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS NOT DESTROY THEM!!" He sighed disgustedly. "If you would just let me see Sonic or one of the others..."

Antoine, however, did not listen to words of this newcomer. The moment he saw the red stranger making furious gestures and shouting at him, he gripped his sword and attacked headlong. 

"What the heck!" Lazer said as Antoine ran toward him. What in the name of the Walkers did this fool think he was doing?

"IN ZE NAME OF PRINCESS SALLY ACORN I... I... where did he go?"

He stopped and adjusted the wig on his head slightly. This stranger had disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. Antoine grinned. He had scared him, whoever it was, off.

"Hmph! Well, zat takes care of zat..." he sheathed his sword.

Then he found himself face down in the grass, his arms pinioned behind him. He felt several pointy rows of spikes pressing his both arms onto his back.

"AACKK! What ze..."

"You went too far that time, Antoine! All I wanted to know was where Sonic or even that 

Princess of yours was. If I met them for several minutes, your view of me would have changed dramatically. However, you acted like a snobby fool! What do say now?"

Antoine tried to get up, to grasp his sword and teach this spy a lesson, however, when he tried to move, he felt a cold point of metal near to the nape of his neck. Lazer had one spiky boot on Antoine's arms, and was holding the sharp blade of his samurai sword quite closely to Antoine's neck. Any movement would bring instant pain.

"Get off of me! You have no idea who you are dealing with!"

Lazer glowered down at him.

"You don't seem to be in any position to make demands right now..."

"HEY! Move away from the coyote!" called a loud voice behind him. Without releasing Antoine in the slightest, he turned his head.

Sonic was standing there. The blue hedgehog, the one who could run faster than sound, Lazer thought.

He was the leader of the Freedom Fighters. Standing next to him was Sally Acorn, Princess, and heir to the throne. Both were staring at him angrily, unsure of who he was and what he was doing with their guard at his mercy. They were also extremely curious, he could see, from their facial expressions, and the way their eyes flicked back and forth over him. Lazer knew them both from data found in military records of his... past... country. Lazer had never known why data had been saved on the Freedom Fighters. He just knew they existed, and had come here after the War...

"Sonic. Sally Acorn. Pleased to meet you," he said, smiling slightly. He was not very happy after Antoine's hostile reception, though.

Sonic and Sally looked at each other. Unspoken words between them were apparent: "How does he know our names? Do you know this guy? No. Do you? Who is he? Where did he come from? What does he want? And how was he wounded like that..?" They had noticed the large black and blue marks across Lazer's chest.

"Um, you should release Antoine before I have to make you," Sonic said cautiously, eyeing the long blade Lazer held to Antoine's neck. Lazer grinned this time. Sonic appeared to be over confident of himself. Then again, being able to move at supersonic speeds would make anyone over confident. He replaced his sword in the sheath on his back and stepped off of Antoine. 

"Ick! I have ze grass stains on my uniform!" he said, trying to wipe off the green mess. He trotted toward Sonic and Sally. 

"Now," the blue hedgehog said, relaxing slightly, "What did you come here for? And, how did you find Knothole by yourself?"

_At least this one's reasonable, _thought Lazer.

"I'm from a country way across the ocean," Lazer started, fixing his gaze on the three of them, "That was destroyed during a war with Dr. Robotnik."

Disbelief showed on each face before him. Dr. Robotnik?

"It may be hard to believe, but I'm one of the few who actually survived the War. He dropped a nuclear Megabomb on our city..."

At this point, Lazer was fighting back emotions that surged through him as he remembered that awful moment. A flash of light, a terrific shockwave, and then,

firey death everywhere...

"D... Dr. Robotnik destroyed your home?" Sally asked quietly. Lazer nodded, his thoughts drifting back to that day.

"Hmm... We did feel a shockwave a few days ago here in the Great Forest. It almost flattened every tree around here. We thought it was a hurricane or something..." Sonic said, lapsing into silence, as he now knew the real cause. After several moments, Lazer spoke again, with fierce determination.

"Sonic. Sally. Antoine. I am here to avenge the complete destruction of my country. I am here to repay Robotnik for the deaths of millions, including my family and friends. I am here to see that what Robotnik did is justified at last."

They stared at him, surprised. They had thought he was just a refugee, with nowhere to go after finding some means of transport here. But, how had he known the location of Knothole? Only the original Freedom Fighters knew it. But, now this character wanted to join their cause, their struggle, to go against the odds.

"We know how you feel... Robotnik destroyed our homes as well. He caused all of us to hide here and lead this resistance. You aren't alone. But, what is your name?" Sally asked, looking into his dark eyes.

"My name is Lazer. Lazer the Hedgehog, or Lazer the Red Hedgehog is what you can call me."

"OK, it seems you want to join us then, Lazer. What can you do? You're some fighter to have gotten Antoine like that," (Then again, Antoine isn't the fighter he thinks he is, Sonic noted as an afterthought.)

Lazer smiled. It wasn't friendly, and it had a lot of bitterness in it. He had no reason to be happy (or friendly) after what had happened a few days ago.

"Why don't you introduce me to the rest of your Freedom Fighters, and I'll show you all."

**********

"SNIVELY!!" Robotnik yelled from behind a computer console. Snively, reading a science magazine sighed exasperatedly and walked stiffly into the room.

"Yes, Sir?" he droned.

"WHAT is wrong with Mecha Sonic? I tried to contact him ten minutes ago and he hasn't responded!"

"Maybe he has been damaged..."

"By what, Sonic, the blue rodent? Bah!" he said, slamming a fist into the console, sending sparks flying. "I want to know what has happened to MY robot and WHERE he is!"

"But, Sir, how can we find him? The Great Forest takes up more than half the continent..."

"I have a homing transmitter installed in his head! If his head is still in one piece, we can find him!"

Snively repressed a groan.

"I'll gather a squadron of Hoverbots, and go with them."

"Good! I see that you can actually think of things for yourself without me ordering you around!" Robotnik sneered.

"I wish that he would drop dead," Snively mumbled to himself as he turned away.

"WHAT did you say, Snively?!" the large scientist shouted.

"I said, 'I hope you have put tonic on your head'! I've noticed it beginning to flake lately," Snively said, hastily covering up. Robotnik rubbed a hand over his bald egg-shaped head.

"Hmm, yes, it does feel rather dry..."

"I'll report to you the moment we find him."

"Good! I'll be waiting here..."

Snively turned to a microphone and said, "Hoverbot Unit 16, prepare to take off immediately," he commanded. In the hangar below, three hundred or more Hoverbots scrambled onto their hovercrafts. Snively, tossing his magazine into a chair, walked slowly toward the elevator that led to his personal shuttle. He hated field assignments, but at least it would get him away from his Uncle for a while.

********** 

Lazer was standing in the centre of the village. He looked around at the huts, with green leaves on their roofs to blend in with the tress around them. The place looked shabby, after all, he had lived in a gigantic city all of his life... until now. Forcing himself to shake off the unpleasant memories, he noticed movement in the forest. A large group was coming closer to the village. He could hear voices, loud ones, and he recognized Sally's and Sonic's voice above the chatter. When the group finally came into the village they stopped and stared. Who the heck was that red hedgehog?

"Woah! He's red and orange!" exclaimed a young voice. Lazer stepped back in surprise as an orange fox, his tails whirring like helicopter blades, floated above the crowd. The small fox hovered toward Lazer and dropped to the ground, looking up at him. Those wide, innocent eyes seemed to be staring at the back of his head.

"Hey, mister, how come you're red and orange?"

"That's Tails," Sonic said, walking toward the orange fox and mussing his strands of hair.

"He can fly by spinning his tails. That's why we call him Tails."

"Uh, nice to meet you, Tails," Lazer said, extending a hand. Tails reached up and shook it. So, this boy can also fly... The crowd had moved nearer.

"Woah! He looks a lot different from any hedgehog I've ever seen," said a quirky, teenage voice. A large, round walrus wearing a huge tool belt walked up to Lazer and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Rotor. I'm the mechanic around here, and Tails is one also. Pleased to meet you Mr. Lazer," he said, and they shook hands.

"Just Lazer will do," he replied. He looked at those who hadn't met him yet. Standing next to Sally was a tannish brown rabbit. Lazer could not help but stare at her. Her left arm and both legs were completely robotic!

"Your... your arm and legs..." Lazer spluttered as she walked up to him.

"Don't y'all worry about those...I'll give you thuh story later. The name's Bunnie Rabbot. I hope you'll like it round these parts... Lazer."

He shook her hand (her organic one). Afterward, Sonic came up to him.

"So, looks like you've seen everyone. Welcome to the Freedom Fighters, Lazer, and might I say you have some VERY awesome footware!"

Sonic had been looking with admiration at the spiked shoes Lazer was wearing. They were of orange material, with green laces and armoured with metal at the heels and toes. He wondered what it would feel like to wear them.

"Wait, wait, he didn't take the oath yet!" Sally said, pushing past Sonic before Lazer could respond.

"Uhh, we have an oath?" Sonic asked, scratching his head. 

"We do now. The new candidates for a Freedom Fighter have to take an oath to swear allegiance..."

"Aw, c'mon, Sally, none of us took an oath at first!" he protested. Sally gave him a look that meant, 'WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!' so he stayed quiet.

"OK, Lazer, hold up your right hand..."

"Hey! What're those?" Tails suddenly shouted, pointing upward. Everyone looked at the sky, and they were not happy about what they saw.

"Oh, mercy! Those durn robots have found thuh village!" Bunnie cried, dismayed.

"A... a squadron of Hoverbots!! How..." began Sonic. But Antoine jumped up and down furiously, and pointed accusingly toward Lazer.

"I KNEW he was ze spy! He just came here so that Robotnik would find ze village!" he yelled. Lazer's face became as dark as a thundercloud as he glared at the coyote.

"Lazer! Is this true?" Sally said. She looked away from Antoine, and turned toward Lazer. She almost backed away from him.

He was looking directly up at the squadron that was like a black swarm of metallic bees above the forest. Imprinted on his face was a fury, an anger that was beyond hatred. No hedgehog, no living being should have so much anger within them... she was filled with more fear from the look on his face than the threat from above. 

"Lazer! Answer us! Did you lead those guys here?" Sonic asked angrily. Lazer turned his glare toward Sonic, who glared back. He had never seen such anger that blazed from those eyes. The sheer force of hatred almost made him wince.

Lazer took out his sword and held it up. His eyes blazed with a red light, and he focused on the blade. The sword also seemed to glow...

"Hey! What..."

Without waiting for any further accusations, he lifted off the ground, and shot off at incredible speed toward the Hoverbots above. The entire group of Freedom Fighters yelled at once,

"HE CAN FLY?!"

"I'm still scanning for Mecha Sonic, Sir," Snively said, bored. Robotnik growled in his throat from the holo-screen.

"WHAT do you mean, still scanning? Haven't you found him yet?" 

"Well, Sir, the signal came from many directions at once. Apparently the transmitter was installed on many parts of his body, too..."

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?" Robotnik screamed, rising from his chair and practically shoving his face through the holo-screen. Snively leaned back slightly, wondering if his spittle would also come out of the screen.

"I'm saying,_Sir_, that Mecha Sonic's body parts have been scattered over a wide area, and we're still collecting the parts."

Snively switched off the volume with the holo-screen controls. He did not want to hear a long tirade of roars and shouts from the fat scientist. Eventually, he turned the volume back on.

"Yes, Sir?"

"You have to collect all those body parts or else..."

Snively was not listening. He was looking at the main screen before him that showed the Great Forest beneath him and the sky above. Red flashes of light were coming from the front end of the squadron.

"Sir! I think we're under attack!"

"WHAT!!?"

**********

"ROBOTNIK MUST PAY!! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!!" Lazer roared, as hoverbots closed in on him. A red aura surrounded him. He rocketed head-on toward a group of them, surrounded by pulsating energy, and left exploding robots in his wake.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, BASTARDS?!" he shouted. The Hoverbots fired, and he ducked to one side. He stretched out both of his arms, and a titanic burst of red energy, fueled by his extreme rage, erupted from his arms, obliterating over twenty of them!

"WANT SOME MORE!?" 

Lazer, consumed with an all-encompassing fury, found only the need to utterly destroy these bastards, and make them pay for what Robotnik had done.

**********

The Freedom Fighters were watching from the ground. What was he? An Ancient Walker in disguise? Surely not... they had seen his wounds from a previous battle. But then, how was he able to use those incredible powers?

"Heads up! They're coming down!"

Over half the squadron had begun to swoop down toward Knothole. Snively had obviously detected them below...

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" Sonic yelled, as bombs fell, whistling through the air. A hut collapsed as the bomb blasts turned it into smoldering toothpicks.

"AAAAGGGHHHH! MY HUT! MY HOUSE!!" Antoine screamed. He was about to run toward the flaming wreckage but Rotor held him back.

"Antoine! Don't be an idiot! They're dropping bombs all over the place!"

"But... but..." he whimpered, gazing as if in a trance at what remained of his home. He had had the foresight to store his most valuable possessions somewhere in the Forest, but this... this had been his home! He felt anger building up within him.

"ARGH! ZOSE BLASTED ROBOTS! ZEY WILL PAY FOR THEES!" he cried, leaping from behind the barricade. A bomb that dropped close to him sent him flying, but he managed to scramble away with only his dignity injured. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Ant, let the fighters do the fighting, OK?" The coyote merely sniffed and looked away, and thought, damn it, why did it have to be HIS hut that got blown up first?

"Sonic, what can we do to prevent them from destroying more of the village?" Sally asked, as bombs landed nearer to the group of huts. 

"I'll go and stop them... Bunnie can hold them off using her laser cannon!" he said hastily, and immediately he shot off toward the nearest Hoverbot. The Hoverbot turned his turret toward Sonic, but the speedy blue wonder was far too fast. In half a second, Sonic had knocked off the startled robot from its hovercraft, and started to attack the other Hoverbots with their own weapons. Poetic justice. Above, the red hedgehog was continuing his rampage.

"I'LL SEE TO IT THAT ROBOTNIK GETS ANOTHER SCRAP YARD... FOR FREE!" he spat, shredding hoverbots and their craft with his blazing sword. Left and right, no matter how many times he was cornered, he always broke free. But then, this was just the frontal assault. The main body was yet to come.

In the cockpit, Snively had had enough of Robotnik yelling at him. He snapped off the holo-screen abruptly, and ordered the entire squadron to concentrate on the village below.

"Well, at least _he'll_ be happy that Knothole is going to be destroyed at last... wait a minute, I didn't even bother to get a closer look at those red flashes in front..."

The screen instantly zoomed-in (actually, the cameras outsiide the cockpit did the zooming in) and Snively leaned back in his chair, quizzically examining this new threat. Where on Mobius did a hedgehog, and a red one at that, find the ability to fly and use explosive heat energy? As he was thinking about this, the holo-screen switched on of its own accord and Robotnik peered at the viewscreen himself.

"WHAT is that... that red pincushion?"

"Sir, he is destroying the squadron. I ordered the remaining Hoverbots to attack Knothole..."

"Ha ha! Excellent! We'll see how the Freedom Fighters, and that interesting red hedgehog, hold up to that... we'll see if he's the kind of fighter he thinks he is!"

"Oh, NO! They're ALL heading this way!" Tails yelled above the uproar of hovercraft as the entire squadron rumbled through the air as a single body, toward Knothole. Bunnie was picking off Hoverbots with her converted laser cannon while Sonic kept on destroying some of the squadron with the captured hovercraft.

"Woah, this is too much!" Sonic said, as he quickly hopped off the hovercraft and fell lightly to the ground. Moments later the hovercraft was vaporized by a huge barrage of energy beams.

"Sonic, we have to escape before they can kill us all! Knothole is lost! We can't hope to hold them off forever like this, without any weapons!" Sally pleaded with Sonic. He leaped behind the barricade that she and the others had set up. The blue hedgehog, however, had other plans.

"WHAT! Give up Knothole to those metal-headed morons? NEVER! This is our home! I'll fight to protect it!"

"No, Sonic! Don't be so..." she began. But Sonic had already leaped into the mêlée. He spun like a rotor blade, and sliced into those hovering robots, turning them into shredded slag.

Emotions flared within Sally. She did not want Sonic to risk his life for their village, and feared for his safety. She somehow thought that he was doing this to impress her, or maybe because he cared for her. In any case, she did not want Sonic to be harmed. How foolish he was! And yet, how gallant, too, she thought.

Above the village, Lazer was swooping downward on the fleet of robots, as an eagle that swoops down on its prey. There were hundreds of them, but with Sonic's help (and a little help from Bunnie's laser cannon) they would pull through eventually.

However, he did not expect the next turn of events.

Sonic was flying through the air, a blue blur in the sky, and spinning so that the spikes on his back turned him into a wheel of death. Many Hoverbots were shredded this way, but many more replaced the fallen ones. It was inevitable that, although he could move faster than sound, the hundreds of lasers criss-crossing the sky would eventually find their mark.

"YEEEEOWWWCHHH!!" 

He had been struck on his spikes, his shoulder and square on his chest all at once. Smoke rose from his body as he plummeted toward the ground. Tails, seeing his friend in need, hovered as fast as his tails would allow and prevented Sonic from slamming into the dirt. He flew away from the battleground as fast as he could and laid his fallen comrade on the ground behind the barricade.

"Bunnie! Keep up that firing!" Sally yelled above bomb blasts, when Bunnie had turned to help Tails with Sonic. Understanding the gravity of the situation, she nodded, and kept up the steady stream of laser shots. With that problem out of the way, she turned to Sonic.

He was in pretty bad shape.

"Oh, Sonic, you idiot... I told you not to risk your neck out there..." she said softly, procuring some bandages from her backpack. Sonic grimaced and coughed.

"You're only calling me cough an idiot because you care so much about me..." he whispered hoarsely. Tails was frantic. He had never seen Sonic get blasted so badly.

"Sonic! Sonic! Be strong! You can't pass out..."

"Don't worry, Tails, just need to cough stay still for a while. Hey, Sal, what cough are we going to do about this mess?" 

"Shh, don't talk," she muttered, tenderly plastering the bandages over the burnt flesh. Why, she thought. Why did Sonic have to be wounded like this?

**********

"UNGH!"

Lazer had already been struck several hundred times already by laser beams, which only served to make him angrier. Although he was invulnerable to the laser weapons, those things hit with a lot of physical force. He had no idea what made the lasers hit so hard; possibly the laser beams carried a disintegrating shell that caused the impact. And where had Sonic gone? He was doing just fine until a second ago.

"Alright, then! You want to amuse me some more do you-"

With his fist ablaze, he upper-cutted through at least five of the hovercraft, instantly destroying them. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain to his side. It was no laser beam that had struck him. He looked down, below his left arm. Small, circular holes had dug shallowly into his body.

"What?! Gun pellets..."

Blood was streaming in rivulets from his side. Oh, heck, they were using REAL artillery! How did they learn so fast? He wasn't the fight-to-the-death type. He knew that he had no chance against hundreds of robots with gun turrets.

"Hmm... Wonder if they keep Rings down there?"

As he shot downward toward Knothole, he created a powerful red energy shield around him. Gunshots that came his way were vaporized before even touching him. He resembled a shooting star as he barreled downward, through the enemy lines. If he could find the power-up he needed in Knothole, the battle would soon be over, he thought grimly.

**********

"Sir, I think that the Freedom Fighters are retreating into the forest," Snively reported. 

"Heh heh! Excellent! We even managed to put that blue rodent out of commission..."

"What do we do now, Sir? Head home? I found all the body parts for Mecha Sonic during the battle," Snively asked hopefully. He had had enough action for one day.

"Hmm. why don't the robots finish the job of destroying their village? Allow the Freedom Fighters to escape. Besides, how could they lead any more attacks on Robotropolis without a headquarters?"

"Good idea, Sir. I'll order them to totally annihilate the area, slowly, and then destroy the houses. I don't see the need for haste."

"Yes, yes! I like the way you think. Torture them slowly as they watch their precious home go up in smoke..."

_Actually_, Snively thought, _I only suggested the slow method just so that I would stay away from you a little longer. _

**********

They had not actually left the village. The Freedom Fighters had merely hidden beneath several large trees just outside the village boundary. Sally was still tending to Sonic's injuries, while Tails kept a close watch on them. Antoine was pacing nervously about. How could he have allowed this to happen to the village he was sworn to protect? He couldn't do anything about it now, though. Rotor and Bunnie were still looking at their village, as they watched the agonizingly slow advancements of the bomb explosions toward their respective huts. After living there so long, they could not believe it was going to be destroyed. All this because of Robotnik! They were also thinking, where was that red hedgehog? Had he been killed?

"Hey! I need to know something," called a voice from above them. Lazer dropped close to where Sally was kneeling next to Sonic. They all turned to watch him. At least he was still alive.

"What do you need to know? Knothole is about to be destroyed, anyway. I thought that you could have held them off with those powers of yours," she said. Then she noticed the slow trickle of blood from his left side.

"You're wounded," she said. "Let me give you some ointment..."

"There's no time to worry about my problems, OK? I'm more concerned with your village," he said, dismissing the need for any medical help. Yet another brave hedgehog, Sally thought.

"What was it that you wanted to know?" Sally asked, kneeling next to Sonic once more. She was trying her best to patch the hole in his spike.

"I need to know if you have any Golden Rings around here."

"G- golden rings? You mean Power cough Rings?" Sonic asked. Lazer nodded. Sonic pointed to his own hut in the village.

"They're in there... in a safe. I kept fifty of them after my last adventure. But why..."

"Thanks. No time to explain now. I'll see you all later...."

With that, he zoomed off toward Sonic's hut. 

"Short spoken, wasn't he?" Sonic noted, wheezing. 

"I just wish I knew what he's going to do," Sally wondered, tending to Sonic.

"Well, he seems pretty confident, so we shouldn't worry too much," Bunnie said. 

"I just hope he can break that safe open. I mean, it's made out of Titanium-Tungstenite, which I made myself," Rotor said thoughtfully. 

**********

Lazer did not see that safe. Where the heck was it? He had so little time. He kicked away various pieces of junk on the floor, and threw old clothes aside. The room of a typical teenager, he thought. Then he saw it, hidden in a corner beside the stove. He tried to pry the lock open with his sword, but it was too hard. Oh, to heck with it. No time for formalities now.

He pointed one finger toward the safe. FOOM. The heavily armoured box melted instantaneously under the tremendous heat. He felt the warm power of the golden rings, and collected them from the molten pool that had been the safe. These would do nicely, and there were fifty of them, too. Perfect.

He exited, through the roof, as a bomb exploded just outside the hut.

They all watched him from the ground. What on Mobius was he trying to do with those Rings? 

"Hey, cough wait a minute, those Rings were mementos! I hope he knows what he's doing..." Sonic grumbled. 

He was now hovering around fifty feet above the village. The Hoverbots had decided, of their own free will, to finish this pest off. As they rallied around him, they thought that he would be eliminated within seconds.

This was not to be.

"TARGET IN SIGHT. RELOADING MISSILE. CHECKING CALIBRATION..."

He looked at the Hoverbots around him. He felt intense hatred. He looked down at the few Freedom Fighters who were now watching him anxiously. He hoped that he could do this right. The last time had been catastrophic...

"FREEDOM FIGHTERS, TAKE COVER!!" he yelled. Then, he began to glow curiously. The fifty rings began to circle him, in mid-air, in a perfect series of circles. He was now surrounded by a formation that looked like electrons orbiting their nucleus. Below, he could see that the group of six had disappeared. Good...

A blindingly white luminescence engulfed him. The rings continued to revolve, and then, slowly, they disappeared into that brilliant orb of pure white energy. Something incredible was about to happen. His own powers, born of the Emeralds themselves, were now being ultra-charged by those fifty rings, that lent him power. The power permeating his body surpassed his own a hundredfold. He concentrated with all of his might, and unleashed the wrath of the Emeralds.

Everywhere, ultra-charged beams of laser energy sliced through the sky, an omni directional energy attack that ripped apart metal and machine, obliterating his enemies within seconds. In mere moments it was all over. The tremendous surge of power had subsided, and

Lazer The Hedgehog dropped slowly downward. He had been successful. None of the huts or trees around Knothole had been destroyed by that energy burst. However, metallic slag was strewn here, there, and everywhere, literally blanketing the ground with scrap metal. It was still raining robotic parts after he landed. The afterglow of the energy lent to him by the Rings hung about his body frame like a golden ghost. When he approached the barricade, he heard a shrill voice nearby.

"AIIEEE!! MY HAIR IS ON FIRE!! HEEEELPP!" 

Lazer looked at Antoine. The coyote was running around in circles, his wig on fire. He had stupidly decided to stay underneath a tree during the attack, and when that tree was burned, so was he.

"Stop, drop, and roll, idiot!" Lazer shouted at the frantic coyote, which did just that. Lazer, although he had been here less than a day, realized that he had a total lack of respect for this guy. He knew that he was a guard, and had been doing his job, but the guard had made a very bad impression.

"Sonic? Sally? Everyone? You can look now."

Cautiously, they peeked over the barricade. They were dumbstruck. Robot parts everywhere. Such massive destruction! They gaped in awe around them, then at him. Who WAS this guy?!

"Wuh-WOAH! No WAY! How did you DO all of this?!" Sonic sputtered, coughing slightly. Similar remarks were coming from the others.

"Sonic, you're hurt," he said, looking at the burn marks on Sonic. Sonic grimaced and looked at them too, putting one finger through the hole in his spike.

"Ah, they're nothing that a good rest in the pool won't fix... Hey, what are you doing?"

Lazer held out one arm toward the blue hedgehog, and a red aura surrounded him. Sonic himself was also suddenly glowing with a red light.

"Hey! What the..."

Before everyone's eyes, the wounds closed. The hole disappeared from his spike, and the burnt skin became normal again. After the glow faded from him, he ran his hands over his non-existent wounds.

"Cool! I'm myself again..." He stared at Lazer. They all stared at him. Six pairs of questioning eyes locked onto his.

"You might be wondering why I have these powers. The fact is: I have five Red Chaos Emeralds inside of me!"

"Are you kidding me? How could you have five Chaos Emeralds inside of you? How did you get them there?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah- the only other way was the Chaos Siphon, but that had been lost years ago..." Sally murmured.

"And," Tails remarked, hovering toward Lazer, "How did you blow up all those robots like that? I've never known Chaos Emeralds to have that kind of power..."

"Those Rings increased my powers, and so I was able to heal Sonic, and wipe out those fools," he jerked a thumb at the robot body parts on the ground. "I couldn't do that with my normal abilities, you see. Oh, and in exchange for helping you out," he continued, "I ask that you accept me as a Freedom Fighter."

They all stared at him. That was it, short and to the point. Sonic, Tails, Sally, Antoine, Bunnie and Rotor exchanged glances. Did they have a choice? Sonic grinned.

"All in favour, say I!"

"I!!!"

"I," Antoine muttered sadly, holding the remnants of his torched wig.

"Hey, I thought that he was supposed to take an oath!" Sally protested afterward. They all gave her a look.

"Oh, alright, but just this once..."

"Yeah, I really liked his résumé!" Sonic laughed.

**********

"SNIVELY! WHAT ON MOBIUS HAPPENED!?!" Robotnik roared when Snively landed his personal shuttle. The aircraft was riddled with holes, and smoke poured from every inch of it. Snively himself fell out of the cockpit, gasping for air, and covered in soot.

"S...Sir? That red hedgehog started to shine brightly all of a sudden, and the next thing I knew the ship had been blasted by some extremely powerful attack, so I retreated. All the robots I took with me have been blown up too, I guess."

"WHAT! HOW could ONE hedgehog destroy a squadron of over three hundred robots, including your ship, in a single blow!? It is unthinkable!" he yelled, pacing up and down in agitation. What was this new threat that the Freedom Fighters had discovered? Thinking of which....

"Snively, did your ship record the co-ordinates of Knothole?"

"I... I'll check, Sir..."

Minutes later, Snively sheepishly climbed out of the badly damaged ship.

"Well?"

"Um, it seems that the entire circuit board and databanks were damaged beyond repair during that sudden attack..."

"NO! How could we have lost so easily?! At least you have the parts for Mecha Sonic? I hope, for your sake that you do!"

"Oh, no need to worry about that. They're in the cargo. At least those weren't damaged."

Robotnik, snorting disgustedly, waddled off to the control tower. Blasted Sonic! Blasted Freedom fighters! And blast whoever-the-heck that new Hedgehog was! It was apparent that life had become vastly more complicated after laying Xadra to waste, four days ago... that hedgehog was red. The dead inhabitants of Xadra had also been red-coloured hedgehogs. That meant... he was from Xadra. Was he a survivor of his megabomb? Preposterous! He would deal with the pests later... for now, he had to repair his most prized robot, Mecha Sonic, and learn more about what had happened today.

********

"Are you sure that you want your hut here?" Rotor asked. Lazer inspected the ground. Flat, not too soggy, not too dry. No grass. Nice tree shade. It was an ideal spot.

"Yes. Right here. I'll be able to protect the Lake of Rings from any outsiders."

The group of seven was standing about fifty feet from the edge of the lake: the famous Lake Of Rings, which mysteriously created a Power Ring once per day. It was extremely precious, and now Lazer was accepted as its guardian.

"OK, Lazer, since this will be your hut, you get to drive in the first stake."

The red hedgehog, gripping the mallet firmly, brought it down with all his might, and the stake sunk deep into the ground. They all cheered, except Antoine, who merely clapped. He was still peeved from being overpowered this morning. His guard's honour had been hurt.

"Nice! Welcome to the club! We'll start work on your hut tomorrow, Lazer, since we need to fix up the village before anyone can sleep. Um, can you help us out?"

"Sure. I'll be really useful when it comes to cutting down trees..."

"Hey, that's my job! You're already trying to replace me, huh?" Sonic said, smiling and frowning at the same time. Lazer didn't say anything.

"Don't worry, Lazer, you'll come to tolerate him just like everyone else does," Sally said. 

"Hey! Tolerate?! What the..."

"Come on, guys! We only have six hours until nightfall!" Tails called out, as he spun his twin tails and flew back toward the village. Sally noticed that Lazer was not following them.

"Lazer? Aren't you coming?"

"Sally? You're a princess, right?"

"Um, yes, yes, I am. But that's beside the point. You're badly wounded, you know, even after you healed Sonic, you yourself didn't heal. I have medicines..."

"Princess, I need some time alone. I'll come in a few minutes."

Sally recognized the tone of sadness in his voice, which meant that she was not to question him further. She quietly stole away into the forest, thinking that she had left a dark and very troubled soul behind.

Lazer was indeed sad as he stared into the Lake of Rings. He was weeping within his mind for his lost country Xadra. Gone forever, never to return. He hoped, that at some point in his new career, he would cast aside his disturbing memories and be able to help his fellow Freedom Fighters to the fullest. He also hoped that he would be able to resist ripping Robotnik apart the moment he saw him. He could not, after his father had told him not to. He stared deeper into the Lake, and he thought that he saw a glimpse of both of his parents smiling at him.

"Dad... Mom... I'll see you someday... but not now. I have work to do..."

He left the Lake, flying toward Knothole. The sun above him had hidden itself behind clouds, as if its glory would be too bright for this dark and withdrawn person. With my Emeralds, Lazer thought, Robotnik would pay, one way or another. 

He looked forward to that day, that inevitable reckoning...

******END******


End file.
